ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Experimental drug may extend therapeutic window for stroke
• Stress fuels breast cancer metastasis to bone
• Mothers who give birth to large infants at increased risk for breast cancer
• Ultrasound triggers bone cell mobility
• Marijuana use prior to pregnancy doubles risk of premature birth
• Exposure to sexual content in popular movies predicts sexual behavior in adolescence
• Obesity plus low vitamin D may add up to a greater risk of diabetes
• Widely prescribed MS treatment may not slow progression of disease
• Mammography screening shows limited effect on breast cancer mortality in Sweden
• New test may help predict prostate cancer
• Lift and shift: Shoe insole helps stroke patients relearn balance
• How aging impairs immune response
• Milk thistle, taken by many people for liver disease, ineffective as treatment for hepatitis C, study suggests
• Twenty-year quest ends as scientists pin down structure of elusive, heart-protective protein
• Closer to a cure? Chemists synthesize compound that flushes out latent HIV
• New evidence links immune irregularities to autism, mouse study suggests
• Drug shown to improve memory in those with Down syndrome
• Nanoscale scaffolds and stem cells show promise in cartilage repair
• Genetic link to rapid weight gain from antipsychotics discovered
• Children abused by parents face increased cancer risk, study finds
• Musical glove improves sensation, mobility for people with spinal cord injury
• Artificial pores mimic key features of natural pores
• Researchers turn skin cells into brain cells, a promising path to better Parkinson's treatment
• How exercise improves heart function in diabetics
• In visual searches, computer is no match for the human brain
• 3-D motion of cold virus offers hope for improved drugs using Australia's fastest supercomputer
• New way to induce programmed cell death, or apoptosis
• Infants' recognition of speech more sophisticated than previously known
• Global health impacts of the Fukushima nuclear disaster
• Sodium buildup in brain linked to disability in multiple sclerosis
• Girls with eating disorders regain healthy fatty acid levels when their weight normalizes
• Two biological risk factors for schizophrenia linked

Experimental drug may extend therapeutic window for stroke Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:34 PM PDT When given at a time that the FDA-approved clot-busting drug therapy tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) is ineffective, the combination of tPA and an experimental compound called 3K3A-APC reduces brain damage, eliminates brain hemorrhaging and improves motor skills in rodents afflicted by stroke.

Stress fuels breast cancer metastasis to bone Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:33 PM PDT Stress can promote breast cancer cell colonization of bone, investigators have discovered. The studies demonstrate in mice that activation of the sympathetic nervous system -- the "fight-or-flight" response to stress – primes the bone environment for breast cancer cell metastasis. The researchers were able to prevent breast cancer cell lesions in bone using propranolol, a cardiovascular medicine that inhibits sympathetic nervous system signals.

Mothers who give birth to large infants at increased risk for breast cancer Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:33 PM PDT Delivering a high-birth-weight infant more than doubles a woman's breast cancer risk, according to new research. The researchers suggest that having a large infant is associated with a hormonal environment during pregnancy that favors future breast cancer development and progression.

Ultrasound triggers bone cell mobility Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:29 PM PDT Scientists have demonstrated that the use of medium-intensity focused ultrasound on osteoblasts, known as bone-forming cells, stimulates the mobility of the cells and triggers calcium release, a process that promotes growth. The technique could provide a foundation for a method to develop non-pharmacologic treatments of osteoporosis, fractures, and other conditions involving bone loss.

Marijuana use prior to pregnancy doubles risk of premature birth Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:29 PM PDT Women who use marijuana can more than double the risk of giving birth to a baby prematurely.

Exposure to sexual content in popular movies predicts sexual behavior in adolescence Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:27 PM PDT Intuitively it simply makes sense: exposure to sexual content in movies at an early age probably influences adolescents' sexual behavior. And yet, even though a great deal of research has shown that adolescents who watch more risky behaviors in popular movies, like drinking or smoking, are more likely to drink and smoke themselves, surprisingly little research has examined whether movies influence adolescents' sexual behaviors.

Obesity plus low vitamin D may add up to a greater risk of diabetes Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:27 PM PDT The combination of obesity and vitamin D deficiency may put people at even greater risk of insulin resistance than either factor alone, according to new research.

Widely prescribed MS treatment may not slow progression of disease Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:27 PM PDT Researchers have just published important data about the impact of a common drug therapy on the progression of multiple sclerosis for people with the relapse-remitting form of the disease.

Mammography screening shows limited effect on breast cancer mortality in Sweden Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:26 PM PDT Breast cancer mortality statistics in Sweden are consistent with studies that have reported that screening has limited or no impact on breast cancer mortality among women aged 40-69, according to a new study.

New test may help predict prostate cancer Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:21 PM PDT Medical researchers have developed a genetic test to predict a man's risk for prostate cancer. Use of the test could reduce the need for repeat biopsies in men who have had a negative biopsy.

Lift and shift: Shoe insole helps stroke patients relearn balance Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:21 PM PDT A simple, inexpensive shoe insole can help stroke patients learn to rebalance their body weight and avoid dangerous falls.

How aging impairs immune response Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:21 PM PDT Researchers have uncovered one of the mechanisms by which aging may compromise the ability of the immune system to fight infections and respond to vaccines. The study, conducted in aging mice, shows that administering antioxidants may help reverse this loss of immune function.

Milk thistle, taken by many people for liver disease, ineffective as treatment for hepatitis C, study suggests Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:20 PM PDT A new multicenter trial finds that taking silymarin (milk thistle) has no effect on serum ALT or levels of the hepatitis C virus in people with chronic hepatitis C infection.

Twenty-year quest ends as scientists pin down structure of elusive, heart-protective protein Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:20 PM PDT It is a cellular component so scarce, some scientists even doubted its existence, and many others gave up searching for its molecular structure. Now scientists have defined the protein structural composition of mitoKATP, a potassium channel in the mitochondria of the heart and other organs that is known to protect against tissue damage due to a heart attack or stroke. Importantly, the newly found channel strongly improves heart cell survival, demonstrating an essential life-saving role.

Closer to a cure? Chemists synthesize compound that flushes out latent HIV Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:12 AM PDT A new collection of compounds, called "bryologs" -- derived from a tiny marine organism -- activate hidden reservoirs of the virus that currently make the disease nearly impossible to eradicate.

New evidence links immune irregularities to autism, mouse study suggests Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:10 AM PDT A new study suggests that specific changes in an overactive immune system can contribute to autism-like behaviors in mice, and that in some cases, this activation can be related to what a developing fetus experiences in the womb.

Drug shown to improve memory in those with Down syndrome Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:10 AM PDT Researchers have found a drug that boosts memory function in those with Down syndrome, a major milestone in the treatment of this genetic disorder that could significantly improve quality of life.

Nanoscale scaffolds and stem cells show promise in cartilage repair Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:13 AM PDT Tissue engineers have used tiny, artificial fiber scaffolds thousands of times smaller than a human hair to help coax stem cells into developing into cartilage, the shock-absorbing lining of elbows and knees that often wears thin from injury or age.

Genetic link to rapid weight gain from antipsychotics discovered Posted: 17 Jul 2012 09:24 AM PDT Scientists have discovered two genetic variants associated with the substantial, rapid weight gain occurring in nearly half the patients treated with antipsychotic medications, according to two studies.

Children abused by parents face increased cancer risk, study finds Posted: 17 Jul 2012 09:19 AM PDT Frequent abuse by a parent can increase a child's cancer risk in adulthood, and the effects are especially significant when mothers abuse their daughters and fathers abuse their sons, according to new research.

Musical glove improves sensation, mobility for people with spinal cord injury Posted: 17 Jul 2012 08:17 AM PDT Researchers have created a wireless, musical glove that may improve sensation and motor skills for people with paralyzing spinal cord injury.

Artificial pores mimic key features of natural pores Posted: 17 Jul 2012 08:17 AM PDT Inspired by nature, an international research team has created synthetic pores that mimic the activity of cellular ion channels, which play a vital role in human health by severely restricting the types of materials allowed to enter cells.

Researchers turn skin cells into brain cells, a promising path to better Parkinson's treatment Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:24 AM PDT Using adult stem cells, researchers say they have generated the type of human neuron specifically damaged by Parkinson's disease (PD) and used various drugs to stop the damage. Their experiments on cells in the laboratory could speed the search for new drugs to treat the incurable neurodegenerative disease, but also, they say, may lead them back to better ways of using medications that previously failed in clinical trials.

How exercise improves heart function in diabetics Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:24 AM PDT A detailed study of heart muscle function in mice has uncovered evidence to explain why exercise is beneficial for heart function in type 2 diabetes. The research team found that greater amounts of fatty acids used by the heart during stressful conditions like exercise can counteract the detrimental effects of excess glucose and improve the diabetic heart's pumping ability in several ways. The findings also shed light on the complex chain of events that lead to diabetic cardiomyopathy, a form of heart failure that is a life-threatening complication of type 2 diabetes.

In visual searches, computer is no match for the human brain Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:03 AM PDT You're headed out the door and you realize you don't have your car keys. After a few minutes of rifling through pockets, checking the seat cushions and scanning the coffee table, you find the familiar key ring and off you go. Easy enough, right? What you might not know is that the task that took you a couple seconds to complete is a task that computers -- despite decades of advancement and intricate calculations -- still can't perform as efficiently as humans: the visual search.

3-D motion of cold virus offers hope for improved drugs using Australia's fastest supercomputer Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:02 AM PDT Researchers are now simulating in 3-D, the motion of the complete human rhinovirus, the most frequent cause of the common cold, on Australia's fastest supercomputer, paving the way for new drug development.

New way to induce programmed cell death, or apoptosis Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:02 AM PDT Researchers have developed a technique to cause apoptosis -- programmed cell death. In two proteins involved in apopotosis -- mitochondrial carrier homologue 2 and truncated BID -- they found the regions that bind to each other to help initiate apoptosis. They then developed peptides that inhibited the binding process, which in lab experiments resulted in the death of human-origin cancer cells. This is a potential target for the development of anticancer drugs that will stimulate apoptosis.

Infants' recognition of speech more sophisticated than previously known Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:00 AM PDT The ability of infants to recognize speech is more sophisticated than previously known, researchers have found. Their study showed that infants, as early as nine months old, could make distinctions between speech and non-speech sounds in both humans and animals.

Global health impacts of the Fukushima nuclear disaster Posted: 17 Jul 2012 05:49 AM PDT In the first detailed analysis of the global health effects of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, researchers estimate the number of deaths and cases of cancer worldwide resulting from the release of radiation.

Sodium buildup in brain linked to disability in multiple sclerosis Posted: 17 Jul 2012 05:48 AM PDT A buildup of sodium in the brain detected by MRI may be a biomarker for the degeneration of nerve cells that occurs in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Girls with eating disorders regain healthy fatty acid levels when their weight normalizes Posted: 17 Jul 2012 05:48 AM PDT A study of teenage girls with eating disorders has shown that reduced essential fatty acid levels returned to normal once the girls increased their weight to a healthy level.

Two biological risk factors for schizophrenia linked Posted: 17 Jul 2012 05:46 AM PDT Researchers say they have discovered a cause-and-effect relationship between two well-established biological risk factors for schizophrenia previously believed to be independent of one another.

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